


Misinformed

by Erdi99



Category: Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 12:29:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15364758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erdi99/pseuds/Erdi99
Summary: What happens when a certain man in black doesn't get all facts right and looses his cool, when he thinks Steph will leave forever? It's a babe, no cupcakes were harmed or eaten!I have posted this before on fanfiction.net under Erdi99 and on fictionpad under fanfictionfanatic





	Misinformed

The vase shatters into a million pieces as it hits the wall and leaves a nice big dent in it.  _These dry wall can't take anything!_

I look around my office, to find something else to throw. My eyes focus on the black, Rangeman Inc. Metal paperweight and Ipick it up and throw that against the wall too. This time it doesn't just leave a dent, it goes right through the wall, leaving a hole, about 30 cm big, in its wake.

Seconds later my door is thrown open and Tank, my best friend and business partner, strides in. "What the fuck is going on?" He barks and looks from me to the wall and back.

I can see my employees starring, but with one death glare from me, over Tank's shoulder, they scurry away.

"I'd like to know that too" Les, my cousin, says, as he looks through the hole in the wall into my office.

"Nothing" I reply and flop down into my office chair. I turn away from them and look out the window. I am really not good company at the moment.

I never thought much about this view, until Stephanie Plum pointed it out. She once said, she would never get any work done, if she had a view like this, especially in winter when everything is covered in a thick, white coat of snow. And since then, I findmyself starring out these windows more often than not.

"Ranger, what is going on?" Tank questions again, as I hear him closing my office door.

"She is moving" I respond and try to keep my emotions out of my voice.

"And that causes you to trash your office?" Tank retorts. I can hear him move closer until he enters my preverbal vision and sits down on my desk. "She has moved in and out of his house so often that I have lost count."

"She isn't moving in with him,  _here_ " I growl "They are moving away." And that is the actual dilemma. She is leaving, for good.

Tank stays silent for a long while, before he questions "To where?"

"San Francisco. He got a job there and she is going with him. And since her apartment building burned down, they don't need to wait until her lease is up."

"Then we should throw her an awesome leaving party" My nosy cousin calls out through the hole in the wall and I am really tempted to throw something else and hope it will hit his head.

"Shut up Les" Tank growls, before turning his gaze onto me. "How do you know?"

"Overheard her and Lula talking. Plus Joe Juniak told me as we brought in Scooter" I answer. Just then it starts snowing again and that usually soothes my mood, because I picture Steph in her winter outfit with rosy cheeks. But all it does today is make me more angry, because I won't get to see that again.

She didn't even tell me herself. I have to overhear it and judging by the way Steph and Lula were talking the move will happen soon and has been in planning for a long time.

Okay, so I was in the Wind again, but I got back two weeks ago. She couldn't have told me as she came into Rangemen a week and a half ago? Or when Tank and I saw her at the mall just a few days back?

Not even Tank and Les knew and they helped her bring in a few FTA's, while I was gone. Had they known, it would have been the first thing I heard about when I got State side. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I need to hit something or someone.

"Wanna spar?" I ask Tank as I get out of my chair and walk towards the door. Tank silently follows me, his blank face in place, and together we walk to the gym.

We don't bother to change into our gym clothes, we just simply take of our shirts, shoes and socks and bandage our hands. After that we go at each other for an hour and a half.

"I am done" Tank declares and grabs a towels from the shelf on the wall. He throws me one and takes one for himself, since we are both are dripping with sweat. I know I will have multiple bruises on my face, ribs and back to show off tomorrow, without needing to look into the mirror. Tank got in a few good hits and I can feel my muscles already stiffen, but I am still angry and I think I need to hit the treat-mill before I get out of here.

"You should go and see her. This doesn't solve anything" My smart ass best friend lectures me, before he leaves the gym to get checked out by Bobby. I can't help but smile as I notice that the big guy is limping slightly.

I turn around and walk towards the treat-mills and catch a glance at myself in the mirror in passing. I have a cut on my shoulder, which is bleeding and leavea a trail of blood down my arm. Just as I am about to jump onto the treat-mill, the gym door opens again and I growl " **GET OUT**!" Thinking it is one of my employees. But as I turn around, I can see Steph standing in the door way.

My heart, that traitor, leaps in excitement of seeing her. She is wearing skinny, black jeans which are tugged into her boots, a blue jumper and a coat is draped over her left arm. Her brown curls are hidden beneath a Rangemen Inc. Beanie, which I gave to her last winter and her cheeks and nose are red from the cold.

Her blue eyes widen and a small gasp escapes her mouth as she drags her eyes over me. "Ranger..." She breathes, drops her coat and comes running towards me with worried look on her face. "What happened?"

"Nothing" I simply reply and turn away. "What are you doing here, Stephanie?"

"I came to see you" Steph retort without missing a beat and If she is fazed by the fact that I called her by her full name, she is hiding it well.

Without uttering another word, I get on the treat-mill and start the highest program, hoping the pounding of my feet will clam my nerves and take away my anger. My eyes are focused on to the opposite wall, away from her. Because I know if I look at her one more time, I will falter.

"Can you please stop?"

"No" I reply without even a glance in her direction.

She carefully approaches and comes to a stop in front of me. "Please, I need to talk to you!"

"So you can tell me that you are leaving town with Morelli?" I snarl. She suddenly moves around me and then pulls the plug of the tret-mill I am on. Thankfully I can catch my balance and not face plant it onto the machine.

"Excuse me?" Steph looks at me with confusion.

"I know Steph…" I huff out "There is no need to tell me anything, because I know everything." I inform her and grab another towel from the shelf. I wipe my face harshly and try not to wince as I brush over my bruises. "So you can go now, but leave your keyfob and employee card at the front desk."

"What are you talking about?" Steph questions and the look of confusing is replaced by a look of annoyance.

"After all I have done for _ **you**_ , I have to find out from a third party!" I shout and throw my towel angrily onto the ground. "You couldn't even tell me yourself. I have lent you cars, came to your rescue and aid every time you needed it, which is more timesthan I can count on one hand, and yet you still go back to  **him** _ **every damn time**_?" I shout and now that I have started, I can't hold back to get out what I have been dying to say all these years.

"He calls you incompetent and yet you go back to him. And the question that is bugging me is  _why_? Why do you always go back to a man, who doesn't help you, screams at you in front of everybody you know and care about and whose idea of romancing you is beer and pizza?" My voice gets louder and louder and there is no stopping me.

Steph is looking at me with a mixture of sacredness, anger and something else I can't decipher. "And four months ago, when you said you were done with him,  _forever_ , I take you out and we have a great night, but I get called into the wind. I leave with the thought that we both finally got our shit together and I come home to hearing you are back together with Morelli and you are moving away! How could I be so blind and naive to think that Stephanie fucking Plum would actually wait for me?"

I turn around after I finish my rant and what I see breaks my heart. She has tears running down her cheek and her hands are shaking. I take a few steps towards her, but she holds up her hand making me stop dead in my tracks.

"Are you done?" She almost whispers. I nod and swallow hard. "You are an idiot" she informs me and I am taken aback. I havebeen called a lot of things to my face, but 'Idiot' wasn't among them. "You think you have the right to be angry right now, but you don't. The only one who is allowed to be angry is me!"

"Is that so?" I laugh out harshly and raise an eyebrow.

" **SHUT UP**! I am talking right now" Steph shouts and I press my lips tightly together, so that a smile won't appear on my lips. I like when she is bossy. There are not many people who are allowed to tell me to 'shut up' and as angry as I am with her, Steph is still one of them.

"I have waited for you to finally get home, since the day you left. Every day I missed you with every fibre of my being. I actually missed you so much, that I annoyed and harassed Tank, Bobby and Les for the better part of those four months." Steph says and through the door we hear a faint "We didn't mind the harassment, beautiful!" which leaves me growling and Steph smiling. Have those noisy bastards nothing better to do?

"So then you get back..." Steph continues, before I can shout at the guys for ears dropping. "And nothing. You keep your distance and say nothing. So today I figured to hell with it. I come her, to find a hole in your office wall and you and Tank beating each other's asses. And then you yell at me and  **I don't even know what for!**

So now I am angry! You can be a real fucking asshole Ranger Manoso. You know why I went back to him? Because you weren't an option. I was an entertainment line in your budged and nothing more. And my ultimate favourite line you fed me is, ' _my life doesn't lent itself to relationships'_.

Guess what… neither does mine! Joe and I finally figured that out five months ago as he got the ok to go to San Francisco. And where did you get the idea from that I am leaving town with Joe?" She questions as she draws a deep breath, but just as I am about to answer she continues, arms flying and wild hand gestures included.

"I am going to San Francisco..." My heart stops and only starts beating again, as I hear her add "But only for a holiday. He invited me and I am taking the girls with me. You'd know that, had you only asked instead of yelled at me.

I haven't spent five minutes alone with you, since you got back and haven't even gotten a kiss... And also we haven't even qualified what this..." She motions between the two of us "...is, so you don't even have the right to behave like the jealous prick that you are right now. In that regard you are not better than Joe!" With that the love of my life walks out the door, muttering something under her breath and leaving me standing dumbfounded in the gym.

San Francisco for a holiday? Found out five months ago? Why didn't she come to me earlier? And how did I not hear about Morelli's promotion?

And she is right I am a jealous prick. I saw red as I overheard her and Lula talking and especially after Juniak confirmed Morelli's move. I didn't even think to ask Steph myself.

The gym doors open once more and my three best friends walk into the gym, grinning.

"You guys knew, didn't you? And you didn't think to correct me, before I made an ass out of myself and yelled at her?" I growl.

"We wanted for you to see and acknowledge how madly you are in love with her." Tank says and Les adds "You have ignored beautiful, since you came back. And if not correcting you would get you to go and see her, well that was the risk we were willing to take."

"You have been impossible to work with these last couple of weeks. And I hope you are going after her, go to your knees and beg her to forgive you for the shit you just threw at her" Bobby concludes and I just stand there and stare at them. I don't know whether to be angry at them or not.

But they have a valid point. I have been in a bad mood. The last mission was a close call and I nearly didn't make it home. On top of everything the government is on my back, for me to sign another contract with them, which I have no intention of doing.

"I gotta go" I say and run up the stairs to my seventh floor apartment, taking to steps at a time. I quickly shower, put on my blackArmani suit and my diamond studs and leave my apartment again.

"Where is she?" I bark as I walk into the monitoring room. Hal pulls up her tracker and rattles of her coordinates.

Morelli's house? What the hell is she doing there?

10 minutes later, I pull my Cayenne into Morelli's drive way and behind Steph's latest POS car. For once I decide to not pick the locks and just knock instead.

"Ranger" Steph says in surprise as she opens the door. She takes in my appearance and her eyes fill with desire. I can see that she has been crying and I hate that I put those tears there.

"May I come in?" I question and she steps back to let me into the house. On my way over I contemplated whether or not to bring flowers. I wanted to get to my babe as fast as possible and a detour to the flowers shop simply wasn't, which would have gotten me here five minutes later, simply wasn't an option.

This place has changed. There are more feminine touches and I can spot a few pictures of Steph, her family and friends hanging on the wall.

"Are you living here?" I find myself asking as I make my way over to the living room.

"Yes. After my building burned down, I had nowhere to go and I didn't want to move in with my parents. Joe was moving anyways, so he offered me to take it until I found something else or moved in with you!" She replies and we both sit down on the couch. My babe on one end, me on the other with far too much space between us.

"With me?"

"Yeah...he said you would come to your senses eventually" She answers with a small smile.

"I am sorry babe. I shouldn't have said those things. I overheard Lula and you talking and I just flipped" I try my hardest not to slide my blank face in place. I want her to see that I mean every word that will come out of my mouth, even if it will leave me raw, open and vulnerable.

"I am afraid. I am afraid that if I let you in completely, that you will see all my demons and every ugly side of me and then you will leave me. I certainly wouldn't blame you for it, since you deserve so much more and better than me."

I can't give her what she deserves, a stable and normal life. The chances are high that I won't live to see my 50th birthday, especially if they force me to sign this new contract.

"Don't..." Steph almost whispers. "Let me decide what I deserve and what not."

"I can't ask you to live this life, babe" I interject.

"You are not asking, but I want to. Don't you think that I would have given up on hoping you and I would work out someday, if I wasn't prepared to get to know all of you? We all have demons, some more than others, but we all have them. So don't push me away, because of that. Let's stop with all the bullshit excuses!" She almost pleads with me. And I thought I was the one who had to do the pleading and grovelling.

"Do you want to grab some dinner?' I find myself asking. I know we have a lot more to talk about, but I'd rather have a full stomach when I bear my darkest secrets.

"Now?' Steph questions and her eyebrows hit her hairline.

"Yes" I simply reply with a small smile.

"Okay" Steph simply answers and I let out the breath I have been holding since I entered this house. Right in this moment I know we will be alright. "Let me quickly get changed."

"We suck at communicating" Steph mumbles into my shoulder, as we lay in bed a few hours later. We have decided that we would take it slow. Once step after another. Steph invited me in to sleep and nothing more.

"I think we have done fairly well at dinner" I chuckle. Now that we are going somewhere, it seems to be easier for me to open up.

"What are we Ranger?" My babe questions.

"We are two people getting to know one another, exclusively" I reply without having to think about it.

"So we are dating?" She probes further.

"Yes" I answer and then we fall into a comfortable silence. As I feel her breathing even out a little I add. "I can't lose you babe. You mean the world to me and I don't know how I'd survive if you left" and that is the ugly truth. Without her I am as good as dead. There is no one else for me, she is it. The pain I felt this afternoon, as I thought I'd lost her to Morelli, was unbearable and I don't want to feel like that ever again.

"I am not going anywhere, Carlos" My beautiful, brown haired babe replies and something inside me eases up and within minutes I am deep asleep.


End file.
